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When we arrived in Shanghai, China it was a big move for myself and my family. It helped alot to be able to write down our experiences and e-mail them to our friends and family. They all gave us a lot of much needed support during that time. After a few months of "adjustment", it became commonplace for me to write updates. Here is an arichive of e-mails sent before creating this website and updates after the website was created.
Family Photo Album:
E-mail to our Friends and Family 5/24/07
Hello from Shanghai It’s time for another update!
We’re all gearing up to come home in 3 weeks. I’m making lists of things to take home (that we didn’t need) and a lot of things to bring back (that we really need). We’re leaving on Sean’s last day of school which is 2 days before Sophie’s last day. She’ll miss her last day of pre-school and graduation, but she’s only 5. I’m starting to feel really guilty about this but she is only 5, right? And, I know she’s just as excited to get home as we all are. Next year is going to be so great because they’ll be in the same school with the same schedule. We toured their new school they are building and it has 2 playgrounds on the roof! Sean and Sophie are very excited about that. I think on a clear day they might even be able to see our apartment.
Sophie is loving school and getting in trouble a lot. Next year, we are really going to have to suck up to her teacher and the principle because I believe I’ll be spending a lot of time with them. I feel bad for her because she definitely feels remorse for her actions but still would much rather play with her friends then pay attention to her teacher. Although I’m hoping the bigger more structured class next year will shape her up. Sean is doing great (thank God) and has already mentioned how he is going to miss his 2 good friends over the summer.
We’ve signed Ayi up for a Western Cooking class during the summer so when we come back in August hopefully Scott will be eating at home more. I happen to like her cooking (it keeps us healthy) but Scott and the kids need a little western fat to liven things up. Come to think of it, banana bread does sound really good right now!
We’ve had our first illness and had to take Sophie to the doctor for a uterine track infection. The only way I new she was sick was that she was urinating all over the place. As we were coming home from school one day she urinated in the elevator. I was calm and we came in and got her clothes changed then went to the elevator to clean it up. When I pushed the button and it opened up to our apartment there were 6 other Asian people standing around the huge puddle in the middle of the elevator staring at me and Sophie, wondering where we were going to stand. They didn’t speak English, so it was pretty comical. I showed them my towel and started cleaning it up in front of them. Once it was clean I closed the elevator door and that’s when I called the doctor. To them it was no big deal at all. They are used to stepping in it I guess because people urinate outside all the time. So she saw an Asian doctor educated in NYC who seems very thorough. Turns out Sophie also had E-Coli which we’re still trying to get rid of.
Singapore was awesome. It is a great place to vacation. Singapore has the largest container shipping seaport in the world (Shanghai has the 2nd largest). So there were a lot of large container ships in the ocean outside our hotel. We didn’t swim much because the water was a little polluted from the ships but it was beautiful to look at. Singapore is really, really close to the equator so it was hot. Our first day was overcast so I applied sunscreen to Sean and Sophie at 9:00 and 1:00 and totally fried Sean. He was miserable. His poor nose was toast so the other days we spent sightseeing. We took this night safari through a rainforest at the Singapore Zoo - it was the most interesting part of our trip. The tigers and lions were roaring and the animals were walking all over the place. I was a little worried for out lives at one point. The next day we fed the stingrays and rode a luge down a long hill. Our hotel was on the beach but the rooms in the back faced a huge forest. We had a monkey on our balcony that was adorable. He even let us take his picture (you’ll see Sophie holding her monkey so they could talk). It was cool. Sean had his first experience with topless European sunbathers. That was funny! She was lying out on her balcony next to ours when Sean went out to look for monkeys. He came over to me and whispered “Mom that lady lost her top”. I think she figured out she just shocked a 7 year old boy, because she was back inside her room by the time I got out there.
Then we took an hour ferry ride further south to an island in Indonesia - Bin tan. Ok, this was by far the most beautiful place we have ever seen. The air was clean and the beach was pristine. Crystal-clear water and the sand was soooo soft. We stayed at a Club Med and Sean got to do archery and trapeze every day along with the beach and pool play in the mini-club med for kids. Sophie also participated in the kids club but she was a little young for the trapeze and archery. She was happy anyway after finding a friend to hang out with. Sophie loved the shows (of course!) and kept us out late every night. I think we were 1 in about 3 American families in the hotel. Lot’s of French and Asian families. Overall, I highly recommend the Club Med experience as long as it has a kids club.
Traveling in China is a little different than the U.S. First of all, the planes are always delayed and I’m not talking about 15 minutes. Usually between 1 and 3 hours delayed. Then when the plane is ready everyone runs to a bus and crams in as many people as possible which takes us to the plane. This bus ride to the plane feels like it takes an hour, this is when Sean and Sophie usually start fighting for space and the locals look at us like we have no idea how to control our children. Then we exit the bus and walk up the stairs to the plane. After that we’ve always had a wonderful meal of rice and fish or meat and a vegetable that often times we’ve never seen before. Then the tray sits on our laps for another hour or so until they are ready to clear it. Don’t ask them to clear your tray when you are done because they’ll say no every time. Once the plane lands if you don’t get out of your seat immediately, you’ll be the last one off the plane. I believe it’s a game to see who can get off first. This is not a pleasant sight. Then once we get in the airport we get our luggage, hop on the Maglev (super fast train) and we’re home in 8 minutes and all is good again.
This Wednesday is Scott’s birthday and Thursday is Buddha’s birthday (this cracks me up!). The Lowe’s office in Hong Kong is closed for this blessed event.
I just returned from Carrefour, you remember, that huge store that drives me crazy with the loud music, pushy Chinese people and nothing where it should be. Well, while pursuing the import section I came across a lady giving free shot samples of Bailey’s. Ok, this made my shopping experience so much more enjoyable. I figure as an American it is my duty to support the consumption of Bailey’s Irish Cream Liquor in China. So, needless to say I’m going back to that Carrefour and helping myself. I’d like to add some to my coffee that I’m drinking now, but Ayi is in the kitchen and I don’t want her to think I’m an alcoholic. Then again why do I care? I can’t do it.
The pollution here has finally started to affect all of us. Sean is on breathing treatments once a day or once every other day. When the wind is not blowing it is stifeling, the air is yellow and sitting in traffic we have to turn on the air conditioner so we’re not breathing in combustion on top of everything else. We’ve heard you get used to it but I have a hard time believing that. For anyone planning a trip out here, we also understand that October is the month to come. The air is the cleanest and the weather most beautiful. FYI - no pressure.
Since we’re going home in 3 weeks, I think I’ll sign off for a while. I’ll start the e-mails again in the fall when we return.
Enjoy the picture! Love, Jennifer